Why Can’t Mitt Romney Stand Up to Rush Limbaugh?

**updated**

“It’s the worst kind of cowardice,” Imus said. “Maybe he’s still jacked up on the Oxycontin, or whatever it is, but you can’t say stuff about somebody and not, 1) own up to it, and, 2) have guts enough to go sit down with her and say, “˜Look, I’m sorry and I won’t do this again.’ But no, he’s a punk.” – Mediaite

Top Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod on Monday blasted Mitt Romney, accusing him of failing to appropriately criticize radio host Rush Limbaugh for his attacks on a college student who testified before Congress.

“I was kind of shocked, Anderson, when Gov. Romney, all he had, all he had to say about the thing was, ‘Well, that isn’t language I would have used.’ What about the spirit of what was said? I thought that was a cowardly answer and it was a test of leadership, and one that he failed,” said Axelrod on CNN to host Anderson Cooper.

Coming days before Super Tuesday, it was more important for Mitt Romney to keep pandering to the grand poobah of Republican hack politics than do the right thing.

I was inundated yesterday on the subject of Rush Limbaugh versus Bill Maher, who can be venomous toward women, and I’ve called him out for it, and has called Sarah Palin the “c” word. Maher is a comedian on a pay network, not a DNC man or someone on public airwaves and Armed Forces radio who is also a leader in the Republican Party.

Let’s not get distracted.

It’s ironic that the soon to be nominee of the Republican Party, Mitt Romney, knows he has less power right now than Rush Limbaugh, a man who just called a private citizen a “slut” and a “prostitute,” then demanded sex tapes.

Mitt Romney has less courage than Don Imus, David Frum, George Will and former Bush man Matthew Dowd, but he’s the best person to lead a nation where the majority of the voting populace is women?

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Taylor, I respectfully disagree. It’s a double standard. Rush may have more scope, years and audience that Maher, but it’s the same exact thing. Rush and Bill are both media personalities, each catering to a very specific subset of their parties. I don’t understand this divisiveness. Where is there anyone trying to bridge a divide here and bring people together? If people are defensive over what Maher says about Palin — what’s wrong with validating that point of view? They’re right. It’s an awful thing to say. Ã‚Â It doesn’t help anyone, Limbaugh or Maher, to be speaking about any Americans… Read more »

You’re changing the subject, which is Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute.”

I wrote THE book on the media’s role in 2008, which includes the 1st woman to benefit from the Hillary Effect, Sarah Palin, from her rise to her self-inflicted fall. So, I’m an expert on the subject of men attacking women in public life. Ã‚Â I have also chronicled Palin from her introduction fairly.

Today, right now, the subject is Rush Limbaugh. It has nothing to do with anyone else.

1.”I respectfully disagree.” Fair enough, so long as that dfisagreement id based on facts. 2.” A.It’s a double standard. Rush may have more scope, years and audience that Maher, but it’s the same exact thing.” B/” Rush and Bill are both media personalities, each catering to a very specific subset of their parties.” A. I have seen Maher called out on his sexism and misogyny all over the left. AND right here, but to say Mahers stupid sexist comments and attitudes are “exactly the same thing” as the full blown dishonesty and outright hatred of limpwithnoballs is an indication of… Read more »

Romney is the quintessential face of private equity;Ã‚Â cold as ice and interested in nothing but money.Ã‚Â Human beings don’t factor into his world.Ã‚Â Unlike Obama,Ã‚Â perhaps he is the true technocrat we have been waiting for.

Great. Sure hope you remember this extremely lame justification next time you criticize President Obama for his cowardice on certain issues or for the fact that he can be what you call a “lazy democrat” (I agree with that by the way). Maybe Obama learned the same lesson. And since most politiciansÃ‚Â or public person can come to the conclusion that no matter what they say, or how they say it, it will be interpreted by others for their own reasons/goals, none of them probably dont need to take a stand on anything. Great.

Joe Scarbrough says its the worst most damaging month for the gop since nixon resigned. He says this contraception stuff is severely damaging the gop.Ã‚Â Hs wife convinced him of it- she is a goper pro life but is furious with ehr party over all this. on tavis smiley

Interesting just a while ago he and Noonan were trying to convince us all that this very issue would cost Obama is second term. He probably should have spoken to his wife before making an ass of himself on TV. What really gets me is that because of the crassness of the big fat red pig on radio, what Sandra Fluke’s testimony has been completely lost. The idiot revealed his own obsessions and made it all about sex. Sandra Fluke’s testimonyÃ‚Â was actually about her friend’s fight to get birth control pills necessary to control a disease causing ovarian cysts. Georgetown… Read more »

Well the pathetic fluffers for the repugnantklan/teabaggers and limpwithnoballs have to try SOMETHING to deflect attention away from how stupid and loathsome their “boys” are don’t they? I mean they are GETTING HAMMERED in the polls for their naked stupidity and hate mongering?

How exactly do you figure that you are paying for anything? The mandate was for insurance to cover this with no co-pay, just as insurance covers certain other medical services with no co-pay. This was lots of hysteria about nothing. Do you even understand how insurance works???

“So, here’s your chance”¦”¦why should I pay for Ms. Fluke’s medication before she does, her family does, before Planned Parenthood does, before her friendsÃ‚Â do or before you yourself do” Good news: you don’t get to pay for ANYTHING! This is why you guys should really stop listening to that pig on radio and inventing boogeymen. I will just paste the following from Maureen Dowd’s comments: “He (Rush Limbaugh the liar) said insuring contraception would represent another “welfare entitlement,” which is wrong — tax dollars would not provide the benefit, employers and insurance companies would. And women would not be getting… Read more »

Do you even understand how insurance works??? I’m sure the stockholders hope I do. I’ve been a board member for several for the past 13 years. Good news: you don’t get to pay for ANYTHING! If and when the incremental greater usage of birth control substances results in either a flattening or a decrease in maternity costs net of the additional unabsorbed costs of providing the substances, you may declare your good news to me. Insurance rates are set based on historical loss costs, not prospective savings. Insurance rates are also approved at the state level. I am unaware of… Read more »

I am not sure why Mitt Romney has to answer for Rush Limbaugh? I understand that Conservatives and Republicans in Office and in the Media are held to higher standards of conduct and accountability. When the liberals hold their media outlets and politicians to the same standards, I will begin to care about what they think. Rush can speak for himself and does not need Mitt Romney to speak for him. Why should Mitt get involved in this issue? I am getting ready to go out and vote against Romney in about an hour. I don’t like him for a… Read more »

Let’s make this simple for the simpletons. Maher is on a channel you have toÃ‚Â subscribe to, to watch, Rush is on the public radio airways heard nationwide. Palin is/was a public figure and sorry but you get all the crap that comes with that. If you don’t like the heat, stay out of the kitchen. Ms Fluke is a private citizen, a college student being attacked by a man of immense power in the GOP. Those are the base differences. Should a woman be called a slut, whore, bitch, or prostitute, no but you are talking about an ideal world… Read more »

I am no fan of Ed Schultz BUT…you really have to have your head shoved pretty far up your own keister not to see the difference between a one time eventÃ‚Â …that the perp then apologized TO the person called the name and who ON THEIR OWN asked to be suspended for 4 weeks and a nonstop hate spewer who then offered a nonapology….oh….wait a second….I just realized whose comment this is….never mind. It’s to far up there to be reached.

You are dead wrong. Ã‚Â A lot of people on the left were upset. Ã‚Â I for one was furious. Ã‚Â I think any male that calls a female names like that is just beyond acceptable. Ã‚Â To be fair, Ã‚Â Ed called her personally and apologized profusely for it. Ã‚Â Also was taken off the air for a week, which hit his pocket.

Lets be clear its not just lord Mittens who can’t or won’t stand up to Limbaugh, it’s the whole damn republican party. Except for McCain I have heard not a peep out of any of the so called leaders of that party.Ã‚Â When you see whats been going on around the country with states that are controlled by the republicans, you see that they may not say it like rush, but they think the same way about women and their issues as Rush does. This is a party that is trying to roll back the rights women have fought for… Read more »

Have you been asleep these past few days? The President not only spoke out, he made a personal call to Ms. Fluke showing his support and telling her he was proud and that her parents should be proud of her standing up for whats right.

I know you have a hatred for the President, but lets stick to facts and not things you just make up because they sound good to you.

I see a new story released today about the President making a statement: “All decent folks can agree that the remarks that were made don’t have any place in the public discourse,” he said. But hadn’t seen that at the time I left the comment.Ã‚Â At that time, all I’d heard about was the personal call, which, alone, did not seem quite brave. I have no hatred for the president, don’t know him.Ã‚Â I’m not in favor of many of his actions and annoyed as hell at those in “The Left” who give him a pass for them merely because… Read more »

Hold the presses, secular and I are in agreement. Just joking. Most of us are making the same points. For the first time since he got the boot from ESPN Rush, is facing a backlash for saying something that is outlandish and incendiary. This is what he does without consequence day in and day out. It’s funny how the trolls here first targeted Maher and then diverted to Ed. If you want to stick up for Rush, just do it. Because apparently you see nothing wrong with what he said despite saying that you do. Again Ingrahm, Palin, Ed, Rush,… Read more »

AND YOU CAN’T TELL ME ONE SIDE IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER! You are not serious are you? There is a big difference from one side compared to the other. I don’t see democrats trying to pass laws that roll back the rights of women. I see republicans trying to undo equal pay for women, pass laws against birth control, redefine rape laws, forcing women to under go medical procedure’s that are unnecessary, defunding planned parenthood, cutting funding for pre natal care, doing away with head start, and the list goes on. As a whole I don’t see democrats waging… Read more »

I see all you got is another “ya but” argument which doesn’t even hold up to the smell test. Trying to throw up the so called great Aetna bailout as some insidious war on women is a laugh. If that’s all you got as a counter argument to my post, well all I can say is, thanks for the laugh.

I see.Ã‚Â There isn’t room for criticism of your party.Ã‚Â Got it.Ã‚Â You’re tribal.Ã‚Â That’s cool.Ã‚Â Just not my thing.Ã‚Â I’ve been a Democrat for 29 years, but I guess since I’m able to criticize them, not your kind. As for Secular, I’ve been watching your comments for a while now.Ã‚Â Your point by point arguments actually have merit occasionally, but you always gravy it up too much with the ad hominems. It’s gonna be a nice loooooooong election season with you guys, and I very much look forward to hearing your defenses of the man who would assassinate you… Read more »

“Let’s not get distracted.” I agree that the right loves to change the subject when one of their Golden Guys goes down in flames after lighting himself on fire. When all of the allegations against Herman Cain hit the fan, the cry from the right was Bill Clinton!Ã‚Â Now, after a 3-day verbal assault on a young woman who is not a public figure, but who was called upon to represent a woman’s point of view on health coverage needs of women, the right is saying …”Look over there at Bill Maher and Ed Schultz!” Ya know, the fact the… Read more »